tunelessadj.
/ˈtjuːnlɪs/ 1. Having no sweetness of tone; untuneful, unmusical, unmelodious, harsh-sounding.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > [adjective] > inharmonious or unmelodious
discordanta1425
jarring1552
dissonant1573
tuneless1595
discordous1597
immelodious1601
discord1606
absurd1617
unharmoniousa1634
scrannel1638
unmelodious1665
disharmonious1683
disharmonical1688
unharmonic1694
dissonous1715
inharmonious1715
disconsonant1731
anti-musical1824
ear-sore1859
tin-kettley1862
cacophonous1867
unnoted1867
callithumpian1886
tinny1904
crunchy1959
1595 E. Spenser Amoretti xliv, in Amoretti & Epithalamion sig. C7v Then Orpheus with his harp theyr strife did bar..But when in hand my tunelesse harp I take, Then doe I more augment my foes despight.
1656 A. Cowley Misc. 38 in Poems Foolish Prater, what dost thou..With thy tuneless Serenade?
1761 H. Dalrymple Woodstock 16 His tuneless numbers hardly now survive.
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. III 47 The music of her voice Made the birds' song seem tuneless noise.
2. Giving no ‘tune’ or sound; not making music; songless; silent.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > [adjective] > without music
tuneless1726
musicless1873
1726 W. Starrat Pastoral in Praise A. Ramsay (single sheet) What tuneless Heart-strings wadna twang, Whan Burchet or Tartana fills thy Sang?
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth V. 323 The field-fare and the red-wing..With us..are insipid tuneless birds, flying in flocks.
1821 Ld. Byron Isles of Greece in Don Juan: Canto III 48 The heroic lay is tuneless now.
1868 ‘G. Eliot’ Spanish Gypsy iii. 227 As tuneless as a bag of wool.
3. Without musical knowledge or skill. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > [adjective] > skilfully > not
timeless1603
tuneless1821
musicless1854
1821 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto IV lxxxvii. 114 An ignorant, noteless, timeless, tuneless fellow.
Derivatives
ˈtunelessly adv.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > [adverb] > inharmoniously or unmelodiously
jarringly1583
discordantly1616
unmelodiously1739
unharmoniously1783
inharmoniously1828
cacophonously1864
tunelessly1905
1905 ‘Q’ Shining Ferry ii. xii Mr. Sam spoke tunelessly.
ˈtunelessness n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > harsh or discordant quality > [noun]
harshnessc1480
dissonance1598
raucedity1599
raucity1607
untunableness1611
disharmony1656
asperity1664
raucidity1669
inharmoniousness1768
tunelessness1881
untunefulness1881
1881 M. Arnold in Macmillan's Mag. Mar. 370 The slovenliness and tunelessness of much of Byron's production.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online December 2018).
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adj.1595